Wedding on Geminar
by ironrod
Summary: What happened to Kenshi after his battle with Lord Babalun?
1. Chapter 1

**Wedding on Geminar:**

**Chapter 1:**

**Queen of Swan:**

"Oh crap!" Kenshi thought to himself as another wave of nausea swept through his body causing his stomach to knot up as he unceremoniously emptied the contents of this morning's breakfast on the forest floor.

Five days had passed since his decisive victory over Lord Babalun and he was still suffering the effects of the Aho sickness that comes with breaking one's operational limit. Kenshi had not concerned himself with the consequences of his actions at the time, realizing as he did that he had no other choice. Now that the battle was over though, his body was letting him know in no uncertain terms that it was wounded and needed to heal.

Unfortunately for Kenshi, one of the symptoms of Aho sickness was the need to vomit and as a result, he was unable to keep up his strength because he could not keep his food down, he could not keep his food down because he was sick, he was sick because his body was not strong enough to heal itself and because of that his body was too weak. Kenshi knew he needed to find something, anything that he could keep down in order to regain his strength or his body would not recover.

Kenshi had spent the first night after the battle in his old room of Empress Lashara's dorm convulsing with nausea. When after a sleepless night of making offerings to the porcelain god he failed to get any better, Kenshi had then gathered his things and moved to the forest and began sleeping on the ground under the shelter of a hastily thrown together lean-to. Kenshi was doing slightly better but still he had not been able to hold down a meal in over five days! He was growing weaker by the hour and knew if he did not find something that would stay in his stomach soon; he ran the risk of starving to death!

It was while he was pondering this circular dilemma that he became aware of the presence of another. Laughing to himself despite his discomfort, Kenshi could not say with any certainty what it was about this encounter that concerned him the most, the fact that the beautiful woman had got in such close proximity before he noticed her, or the fact that she had not even been trying to conceal herself!

"Goddess, you are one hell of a mess!" Kenshi heard her say without preamble.

"And a good morning to you too, Princess Aura," Kenshi replied weakly, his eyes rolling back in his head as he swooned.

000

Unknown to Kenshi, since he had fled after the battle the political situation between all the allied nations had been steadily degrading. Four different political entities had legitimate claims against the nation of Shtrayu. Havoniwa, Shurifon, the Church and the Holy land, however, with their Prime Minister Babalun dead and Empress Lashara Earth de facto deposed, political chaos existed within the borders of the leaderless country. In other words, there was no way to make peace because there was no legitimate legal authority with which any of these adversaries could make treaties!

In and of itself this problem should have been of minor importance. The Church and the Holy land were supposedly neutral, while Havoniwa and Shurifon were governed by wise rulers smart enough to back off and give Shtrayu a chance to sort itself out.

Complicating the matter, however, was the kingdom of Trible. Claiming that although they had not been attacked directly, the belligerent actions of their neighbor to the south had necessitated placing their kingdom on a war footing, resulting in needless hardship to their subjects for which they expected to be duly compensated. Using the current power vacuum in Shtrayu to his advantage, King Trible knew that neither Havoniwa nor Shurifon were in a position to gainsay his upstart actions, as both their armies were exhausted. Neither, he also knew, could the church do anything as their functionality was still fragmented and it was in no position to impose sanctions.

With the skill of a seasoned politician, King Trible had begun allying some of the smaller northern nations to his cause and they in turn had begun recalling their Sacred Mechamasters as their armies began to tool up for war.

Aura knew that more hostilities were in the offing and if something was not done to defuse the situation soon, the girls who had once fought so valiantly side-by-side to restore the Holy land could very well find themselves facing off against each other as adversaries!

Somebody was needed to take charge of the situation to bring order out of this chaos, and the only somebody these armies were willing to follow was currently laying face down in a puddle of his own puke in the middle of the forest!

Aura could sense that Kenshi was closer than he realized to dying. Setting an emergency beacon so that she could find him again, Aura hurried back to the Holy land practice grounds where she had left her Sacred Mechanoid then returned to Kenshi's camp. Scooping Kenshi up in one fluid motion with her mechanical hand, she then hurried off to the only place she knew where he might be saved.

000

When Kenshi woke again, the first thing he noticed was that he was immersed in a comforting warmth. As he slowly became aware of his surroundings Kenshi realized that he was in an open air hot springs and that the soft squishy feeling he felt against his back was not that of a pillow, but instead the ample chest of his savior, Aura Shurifon, who had been tirelessly holding his head out of the water for the last few hours.

"The problem is that your body became over saturated with the poisons caused by the negative Aho that comes from your being in such close proximity to an Aho reactor," Aura explained as she gently held him next to her. "This is the reason you cannot hold your food down right now. All that negative Aho has completely soaked through your entire being and it overwhelms the naturally occurring positive Aho in the foods you eat, turning them into poison that causes you to throw up." Aura explained.

"For Sacred Mechamaster's like us, it is our resistance to these poisoning effects that determines an individual's operational limit. When you exceed that level, your body becomes sick and is forced to purge itself of all the toxins that it generated. You have been pushing yourself hard for the last few weeks, never allowing yourself the time necessary to completely detoxify and your body is starting to rebel as a result. Before we can get your internal chemistry to stabilize, we must first completely cleanse this negative energy from your system!

"Exacerbating this problem is the fact that you did something I have only seen done once before! You forced yourself to exceed your operational limit, subsequently causing these poisons to accumulate in your body far beyond any level that should ever have been expected of it! If I had not found you when I did you surely would have died!" Aura exclaimed.

"That's why I brought you here to Shurifon's Sacred Hot Springs. Positive, that is to say healing, Aho flows naturally from all the springs and rivers in the Ena Ocean. This place is special, because the natural evaporative effect of the warm water concentrates the healing Aho in the water that remains."

"Where is here by the way?" Kenshi asked her, "I explored the forest around the Holy land quite thoroughly while I was working for Lashara and I don't recognize my surroundings at all."

"This is a holy place Kenshi, close to where the border of Shurifon meets the Havoniwan highlands, quite some distance from the school and just below the very top of Ena's draft. Its exact location is kept secret from all but a few of the highest-ranking nobles in Shurifon. The only reason I know about it is my father pulled the same idiot mistake you did and had me bring him here so that he might be healed."

"You're not going to get into any trouble because you brought me here, are you?" Kenshi asked.

Smiling at him warmly Aura answered, "You forget, I'm the daughter of the King, we're good."

"That's a relief." Kenshi sighed, "Okay then, how long do I have to stay in here in order to purge this crap from my system?"

"To be brutally honest, I don't know," Aura frowned. "The best guess I have at the moment is that you remain in here until your head starts to get woozy. Then we will see if you can eat your dinner without puking. If not then we will just repeat the process until you can hold your cookies down. Or you die, whichever comes first."

"Can I ask you another question?"

"Go for it," Aura replied.

"It's not that I'm ungrateful or anything like that but, I'm not in danger anymore so, why are you still in here with me?"

"Because I spent half the morning trying to find you, and when I did you were in such dire straits that I had to break my own operational limits in order to get you here before it was too late!"

"I'm sorry if I sounded ungrateful Princess, I really appreciate you taking all this trouble for me."

"It was no trouble. Besides, I have my own agenda as well." Aura smiled.

Heaving herself out of the water, Aura walked downslope to the cocoon that was her Sacred Mechanoid, retrieved an emergency shelter/tent along with its first aid kit, then proceeded to set up camp for the night. As she erected the tent, she began to explain the situation with Shtrayu.

Retrieving a blanket from her mechanoid's emergency kit along with some supplements she carried to ward off the effects of her own Aho sickness, Aura spread the blanket next to where he lay in the water and gave the some of the herbs to Kenshi for him to swallow.

"These herbs aren't strong enough to get you well, but if you take them before we eat you might be able to get your food to stay down."

"I appreciate it very much, Princess." Kenshi told her gratefully.

Taking some of the herbs for herself, Aura reclined on the soft grass next to where Kenshi lay in the bath and waited for them to take full effect.

"So why did you runaway?" Aura asked idly. "I know that after facing Babalun you couldn't have been afraid of a bunch of marriage hungry women."

"Actually I was terrified," Kenshi admitted, "but that wasn't the reason I ran. I ran because I didn't know what to do next."

"What do you mean?" Aura asked in surprise.

"Princess, keep in mind that I am from another world, I have no insight whatsoever as to Geminar's political realities or which nation owes what to whom. However, I do know that my mere presence here is enough to upset this world's political landscape. This whole mess started with me trying to assassinate Lashara! I shudder to think of what might have happened had I been successful. What if I were to make another mistake? Better for me to divorce myself from the situation and let Geminar sort out its own issues than run the risk of screwing things up even worse!"

"I thought as much," Aura told him, "but you do yourself a great disservice Kenshi. Don't forget you pilot a white Sacred Mechanoid! That tells me and all who've seen you just how pure you're heart really is!"

"Pure heart or not, any weapon can be used to wicked ends if wielded by the wrong user."

"Is that how you view yourself, as a weapon? And here I thought you were a King!"

"A King maybe, but not a wise King, not like your father."

Aura smiled to herself as she thought back to the gentle man she knew as her father whom others feared, and for good reason. Taking a lesson from the old man's playbook, she imparted some of his wisdom to Kenshi. "My father is wise, that much is true, but much of that wisdom comes from his understanding himself, of knowing what he doesn't know and knowing who to trust to find the answers to the questions he can't. Since you admire him so much you should probably consider following his example and seek out someone willing to shoulder some of the burden of your being King."

"Meaning what?"

"Meaning, what you need is somebody you can trust to speak for Swan when you don't know what to say, somebody whose words will be the same as law. In other words, what Swan needs is a Queen!" Aura stated flatly.

"Makes sense," Kenshi agreed with a smile, "and who would you recommend for such an important post?"

Of all the women on Geminar Kenshi had met Aura was most nearly his equal, because of that; he knew that her thinking most likely mirrored his own. Explaining why her next statement came as such a surprise to him when she answered with, "I'm glad you asked because, in my opinion, the best-qualified candidate is… Lithia Po Cheena!"

Choking back his astonishment Kenshi managed to ask, "And how did you come to that conclusion?"

"First off, being the Pope's granddaughter and all she is politically connected. Secondly, she has the experience and is well read on the political realities of this world and its current events. Thirdly, she has proven over the years that she can be a damn good administrator!"

"She is all that you say she is true enough." Kenshi acknowledged, "Unfortunately, as for her being a suitable Queen I find that I must strongly disagree with you here."

"Why is that?" Aura asked him curiously.

"Number one, she is highly opinionated. Number two, she jumps to conclusions without any evidence and number three she is stubborn beyond reason!"

"Other than that what is wrong with her?" Aura asked him with a smile.

"It's her relationship with the Church." Kenshi answered sheepishly, "I'm afraid they will pressure her to sit on the fence when more direct action is required. Remember, it was the Church's penchant for neutrality that allowed the situation with Babalun to degrade to the point where they lost control of their own weapons. Had they been more proactive when Lashara's rule was being threatened then this entire unfortunate affair could have been avoided.

"Also, let us not forget about Lady Lithia's health. She is very fragile and the strain of running a kingdom, even one as small as Swan, could be too much for her to handle! I will need a strong fighter at my side should fighting become necessary. She is a good choice, but by no means the best choice."

"I understand," Aura said with a sigh, "she did burn a number of bridges with that 'wild beast' moniker she hung on you didn't she?

"All right then how about Neizai? She is also a member of the church and would be considered neutral."

"I have very serious issues with Neizai even being on the Swan much less leaving her in charge of the place! From the beginning, she and Ulyte conspired to manipulate me for their own purposes. It really doesn't matter how noble their goals were, or how favorable the outcome. I was never given a choice in the matter! Neizai's consciousness is that of a core crystal, who is to say if she still doesn't have some secret agenda needing to be fulfilled? There is a lack of trust between her and me and there always will be!"

"Goddess you are picky!" Aura exclaimed, "All right then how about Mexiah? Her being a teacher in the Holy land allows her to remain neutral yet still enables her to help guide your kingdom, not to mention all the fringe benefits of having her for a partner in your bedchamber."

"Mexiah's penchant for playing the role of my big sister makes me somewhat squeamish with that idea," Kenshi answered sheepishly, "putting that aside, remember that Mexiah's will is not always her own. We still don't know the mechanism by which Babalun used to control her. I agree with you that there are considerable fringe benefits of having Mexiah as my Queen, but there always remains the possibility that her will could be superseded by that of another."

"My list of candidates is starting to get short here Kenshi. Tell me, do you have someone in mind?" Aura asked testily.

"Actually, I do, but keep going down the list, I'm sure you'll get to her eventually."

"All right then, what about Yukine? She hails from a long line of priestesses and Swan owes her village a debt of gratitude for their having granted you permission to make the Kenshi sword from their sacred monolith."

"I was wondering when you would get to her. Yukine would make the perfect wife, for anybody other than me. She is too submissive and I would worry that she would just passively go along with whatever I wanted rather than stand up to me should I make a wrong decision."

"Wahanly then?"

"With Wahan, she might be more likely to start a war than try to prevent one. If for no other reason than to test out her latest invention!"

"I will not argue with you there," Aura sighed. "Well that does it for all the potentially neutral candidates. If you insist that we continue this exercise in frustration, then you need to start thinking in terms of alliances. If you think this is a wise idea then how about the obvious choice and consider a betrothal to Lashara?"

"I owe Lashara my life. However, a slave cannot buy his freedom with the fruits of the labor performed in his master's field! It would be impossible for me to repay the debt I owe her should I become betrothed to her. Instead, I would become nothing more than her property! Only a free man can freely repay the debt he owes another!"

"You know Kenshi, sometimes you speak with the same wisdom as my father and if it means anything, I didn't think it was a good idea either." Aura smiled at him. "Okay then how about a betrothal to her cousin Maria Nanadan? As they are related by blood, you could use your position as King of Swan to strengthen the alliance between the two nations."

"Do you really think the fact that I was betrothed to her daughter would be enough to keep the Queen Flora away? I seriously doubt I would survive long enough for Maria to come of age!"

"Point well taken, well then getting back to Lashara, how about considering Chiaia for your Queen? She is a strong fighter, highly educated, and has shown on several occasions no compunction at all about speaking her mind with regard to some of your actions. It seems to me that she fulfills all your requirements."

Kenshi sighed, "Chiaia still holds a torch for Dagmyer and she always will. She would make a fitting Queen indeed, but she would hate it!"

"Nonetheless, she would do it if you pressed her."

"Maybe so, but I won't. She deserves her own chance at happiness and I won't deny her that."

"Well damn it Kenshi that's the lot of them!" Aura snapped. "Tell me what would you have us do? No, wait a minute I have an idea. How about you marry all of them in some sort of rotating harem set up! That way you can have a new partner every night! It might not do much for the peace process but you should be happy at least!"

"Aren't you forgetting one candidate?"

"That's all I can think of unless maybe you were seriously considering…maybe…"

Aura paused for a second as she pondered Kenshi's words, at first Kenshi thought that the reddening on her face was from her blush, but as it continued to darken, he realized that it was from rage. Bracing himself, he remained motionless as Aura's open hand struck his face in uncontrolled fury. Again and again, she struck him until she finally managed to contain her anger enough to once again think rationally.

With tears of anger still streaming down her face she screamed at him, "Damn it all Kenshi, I'm your ally not your adversary! There was no reason for you to lead me down the garden path like that! It wasn't because of a sense of false modesty that I kept my name off the list! I know that, at least on paper, you might have considered me a good choice. Don't you realize that if I thought I really was a suitable candidate I would have offered myself first? However, there are reasons, secrets that kept me from offering myself to you. Are you really that naive!"

"Yes Aura, I am, and that's why I need you."

"Look Kenshi, I'll be your wife, I'll even be your senior wife, if that's what you want. Place me high on your councils, make me your Minister of Defense, Secretary of War or whatever if you think you need my advice that badly, but I cannot be your Queen!"

"But you said a Queen is what Swan needs."

"I can't Kenshi, I just… can't. Chose another, any other and I will help guide them from the shadows."

"Not good enough Aura and you know it."

"I'm sorry Kenshi, I really am, but you're asking the impossible of me. Please don't ask me again." She cried.

"Can you at least tell me why?" Kenshi asked curiously.

"Don't ask Kenshi," Aura begged, "please don't ask."

_"Well, I certainly put my foot in that one,"_ Kenshi thought to himself.

The subject dropped for tonight, Kenshi remained in the balmy waters of the Hot Springs until he became lightheaded. Climbing out of the water, he joined Aura as she prepared their dinner by campfire light. Silently the two ate their meal then, with the moon on the rise, Aura retired to her tent for the night while Kenshi remained outside wrapped in his blanket.

When Aura woke the next morning, she discovered that Kenshi was gone, him having silently packed up all his things, before hiking off into the highlands sometime the previous evening.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2:**

**Aura's Secret:**

The altitude of the Hot Springs that Aura had taken Kenshi was just below the level of Ena's draft. From there the topography climbed steadily upwards to well beyond the limits of her Sacred Mechanoid. Stripping down to just her shirt and gym shorts the dark elf princess performed a quick series of stretches to loosen up before she gave chase.

Setting a pace that was punishing even for her, Aura soon picked up Kenshi's trail. Pushing herself to her very limit, she quickly closed the gap between the two of them until finally spying a makeshift shelter made from rock and brush sometime just after midday. From the distance he had covered in the short time they had been apart it was obvious to her that Kenshi had forced marched himself almost the entire previous evening, having finally collapsed when his strength failed him.

Walking up to his crude encampment, Aura spied Kenshi laying wrapped tightly in a blanket as he sought to shield himself from the cold. Not having very much sympathy for his having put her out so, she kicked him roughly in the side and ordered, "Move over!"

"Uh, what is it?" Kenshi asked her sleepily.

"I said move over!" Aura demanded. "It is just about my defective time and thanks to my having to chase after you I don't have a safe place to stay!"

"I'm sorry Aura; I thought you would understand that without you I couldn't go back."

"I don't have time to argue with you right now Kenshi, just unwrap that blanket and slide over."

Doing as he was instructed, Kenshi unwrapped the blanket from around himself and Aura quickly lay down next to him spooning up from behind as she did so.

Relaxing her mental discipline, she allowed the unknown fear that plagued her kind to run free as she let her emotions run wild. Interestingly, she noted her fear just was not as pervasive as it usually was. _"Could it be that all I really need is to feel the strength of another next to me at times like this?"_ She thought to herself.

Hoping to use this time of weakness to her advantage, Aura whispered in his ear. "You know Kenshi, when I get like this you could easily take advantage of me and there would be nothing I could do to stop you. Of course, in your case I really wouldn't mind all that much were you to do so."

"I would never betray your trust in such a fashion princess."Kenshi answered her softly.

"You mean you're not going to take advantage of me?" Aura asked, the sound of disappointment plainly evident in her voice.

"Afraid not."

"Well then, in gratitude of your chivalry I will let you in on my secret."

"What secret?" Kenshi asked her.

"The reason why I cannot become your Queen." Aura explained.

"If you don't want to tell, then there is nothing to tell. You have your reasons, that's all I really need to know."

"No Kenshi, you do need to know. I am trying to prevent a war here and without your cooperation, I doubt I will be successful. So let me explain to you why I cannot become your Queen."

"If you insist."

"My story starts with a conundrum; you see as a member of royalty in direct line of succession to the King I have a responsibility to remain pure. However, as a Sacred Mechamaster I also have a duty to procreate with other Sacred Mechamasters for the greater good of the Kingdom's defense. Normally that decision should have been determined by my own personal choice and the royal family's political situation, however, in my case that decision was made for me long ago."

"What you mean?" Kenshi asked.

"Let me explain by beginning with a question, tell me honestly; how old do you think I really am?"

"I don't really know," Kenshi answered her, "in human years maybe 20, 25 years old."

"If I were to ask you the true meaning of those numbers you would probably say that they represent the prime of a woman's life now wouldn't you?"

"Exactly."

"Well then let me let you in on a little secret, in human terms I am really only 17 years old!"

"What!" Kenshi shouted in surprise.

"It's true; I'm really only two years older than you." Aura explained as she snuggled in closer to him. "You see, a dark elf's span of years is only half that of the human. If a human lives to be 100 years old then my lifespan will be approximately half of that."

"I'm sorry princess, I didn't realize. Most of the people I know from other worlds live much longer than humans. Those years… those years must be very special to you; I think I understand now why you don't want to waste them."

"No Kenshi, you misunderstand." Aura stopped him, "Don't feel sorry for me, this is just the way of things for us and frankly I wouldn't have it any other way. Because, in exchange for this short march of years I have also been granted a very full life. Dark elves mature faster than humans do and we age more slowly after we reach maturity. Between now and when my body is returned to the forest for the last time neither my physical prowess nor my beauty will have declined.

"I only mentioned this as background for the secret I must tell you, a secret for which you must now take responsibility. You see, a disconnect exists between the physical speed in which our body matures and the maturity of our minds. When I was just 13, my physical body had not quite achieved a level of maturity that you see before you today but I still cast quite a striking figure. Unfortunately, my mental maturity was still that of a much younger girl.

"When I first came to the school five years ago I caught the eye of a male sacred mechamaster several years my senior. He came from one of the northern kingdoms and dark elves were something of an enigma to him. He became enamored of me and being the spoiled brat that he was, just had to have me for himself. I told him no over and over again but he would not listen. One day he tried getting physical with me and wound up with a broken arm for his trouble.

"For that reason or maybe just spite, my constant humiliation of him angered his classmates and they began to spy on me. Eventually, they uncovered the secret of my defective time and where I went in the forest to hide when the spells came over me. So, one day when the time was right his friends made up a story saying that I had told them that I was sorry for what I had done and was waiting for him in the forest so I could make it up to him. He found me, exactly where they told him I would be, and as I explained… there was nothing I could do to stop him."

"I'm sorry that had to happen to you Princess, I really am. Nevertheless, one of the truths that my grandfather likes to harp on is the one about all of us being nothing more than the sum total of our experiences. You should not let one sour experience like that hold you back."

"This is your rather sweet way of saying you don't really care about my past." Aura finished for him. "However, the damage is already done and my purity is lost. Remember, The Church is final arbiter of succession for all countries within the Ena Ocean. They are the self-appointed guardians of the bloodlines of all the royal families on Geminar and ascension is only possible with their approval. Because I'm not pure, I won't be recognized as Swan's second in command!"

"There must be some way that we can… we can… Oh, crap!" Kenshi exclaimed as he rolled out of the blanket and puked on the ground.

Her defective time now passed Aura quickly jumped up and took charge. "I warned you that you were going to need to spend some more time in that bath! But no, you just had to runaway and now we're both stuck out in the middle of nowhere with no way to call for help!"

Kenshi's only answer was to gag as his stomach purged itself once again.

Pressing her forehead against his Aura gasped, "Damn it Kenshi, you're burning up and I didn't bring any of my medicines with me!"

"I've got… some herbs… in my… bag." Kenshi forced out between convulsions.

"I just hope you brought the right ones." Aura snapped.

Spying his bag on the ground Aura began rifling through it before finally extracting the herbs she thought might be of some help. Placing the ingredients on a large rock, she took another small rock and began pounding them into paste. When she was through she added them to Kenshi's canteen and holding his nose, she forced the entire contents down his throat.

Finished, she glared at him and said, "Okay! You and I are going to march back to that Hot Spring and we are not leaving until I say so! Do you understand Kenshi!"

Knowing from the tone of Aura's voice that she would brook no argument Kenshi nodded his head weakly.

"Good, because if you try to run away again I will break both your legs!"

Having no other choice Kenshi nodded his head in acceptance and leaning heavily on Aura for support the two began the long walk back to the Hot Springs.

"I swear Kenshi; you had better marry me for all the trouble I'm going to on your behalf!" Aura whispered under her breath.

"Only if… you agree… to be… queen of… the Swan."

"I already told you, the Church won't recognize me!"

"There must be… some way… to get… around that."

"If you can think of one I'm all ears." Aura told him gently, "Now hush, it's a long way back and you will need your strength."

000

The pair marched on in silence for about four hours, their voices silent as their thoughts raced. Not that Aura had any say in the matter when she had lost it, but still she felt guilty. Aura knew Kenshi needed her, needed her badly and she was barred from helping due to circumstances beyond her control.

What really irked her was the fact that Kenshi was right! Aura had been trained from the time she was little to be a leader, she was good at what she did and she knew it! Not only that, but with her as Queen her father would be more likely to come to Swan's aid if the situation warranted. Aura knew she would make a good Queen, probably even a great Queen, were it not for the minor problem of her chastity.

Finally, after the end of four hours, Kenshi could no longer stand the silence and asked Aura, "Whatever became of the man who assaulted you?"

"You know that is really the saddest part of my story," she told him, "you see the big buffoon did not understand about my defective time. When he did what he did, he thought I really wanted him! When later he found out the truth, he was horrified at what he had done and tried to make amends. You would not believe the lengths he went to prove that he could be a worthy husband. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he tried I could not get past the fact that he had forced himself on me, so I just rejected him.

"But to answer your question directly: He managed to kill himself his final year at school, trying to prove that you could extend the range of a Sacred Mechanoid. In principle, he was trying to do the same thing that you showed us how to do with those, what did you call them, trebuchets? His method wasn't as sophisticated as yours. He tried to power through it by taking his Sacred Mechanoid and accelerating it at low altitude until he reached maximum speed then point it upwards and fly straight up out of the draft, letting his Sacred Mechanoid revert to cocoon mode momentarily before it cleared the wall then re-form when it reentered the draft on the other side.

"He got pretty good at it too. Once he thought he had all the bugs worked out he summoned his instructors to show them what he learned. Unfortunately, he always practiced this trick at low altitudes. This day he was looking to leave a lasting impression so he made his approach higher and steeper than he should have, causing him to shoot up much farther than was necessary to clear the wall. Unfortunately, he forgot to account for the crosswinds that existed that high outside of the draft."

"You mean he…?"

"Correct, he made an impression alright, splattered his dumb ass all over the wall! If you look closely just to the left side of the gate where the images of the Goddess reside you will see a small shrine placed in his memory just outside of the draft. Every now and then when I'm feeling particularly remorseful I'll place an offering there in remembrance."

"So then, other than him how many people know of what happened to you?"

"There are a few, the two senior girls who helped me hide the evidence and of course his so-called buddies that set the two of us up."

"I have to ask, does your father know?"

Stopping suddenly, Aura released Kenshi's arm and let him slide to the ground. "My father does not know of this and he never will! Were he to find out then he would be honor bound to declare war on the kingdom from whence that dead moron hailed!"

"I'm sorry Aura, that's not what I meant to imply, but if there were some way to restore your honor then wouldn't the Church be required to recognize your legitimacy?"

"Kenshi, you're beating your head against a stone wall here. As King, you must learn to recognize the fact that sometimes the Goddess is going to lay one on you and you will have no other choice but deal with it!"

"Still, there must be a way."

"Forget it Kenshi," Aura rebuked him, "As a Sacred Mechamaster I am duty bound to fight for the kingdom I serve, but as a future ruler and leader of my country, am I not also obligated to pursue peace until all avenues are exhausted? Even unto death, if that is what is required of me! So, me keeping a lid on an assault that happened four years ago is a relatively minor sacrifice don't you think?"

She paused for a moment then reached out her hand in order to help him back, but he pushed her away. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get short with you but you have been entrusted with a powerful secret, one that if misused could plunge this continent into war." Aura apologized.

"Even unto death," Kenshi echoed, "maybe that is the reason why I am in the condition that I am."

"What do you mean?"

"It's called the sword of the Light Hawk." Kenshi answered her cryptically.

"What is?"

"The weapon by which I was able to defeat Lord Babalun. I sometimes have heard it referred to as the ultimate power in the Universe! As a defense, it cannot be breached. As a weapon, it cannot be defended against!"

"Excuse me, but aren't you taking on airs?" Aura asked him bemusedly.

"Do you really think so?" Kenshi replied seriously, "Gaia represented the height of your civilization's technology. It took three of your best to beat it to a draw 1000 years ago! Lord Babalun spent untold lifetimes in order to resurrect that monstrosity because he thought there was nothing that could stand against it! Yet I took him down in less than 3 seconds with that weapon! The Light Hawk sword that I bested him with is the lowest manifestation of what is known as the Light Hawk wing. My half-brother, Tenchi, is the only other human in the universe who can do what I did. There are interplanetary civilizations dependent on this technology! Entire planets have been destroyed just to keep this secret safe. Do you understand what I am telling you, Aura! This is a power too great for any human to wield! If other civilizations around other stars discover that Geminar knows of the Light Hawk then it will be destroyed!"

"Kenshi, what are you trying to say?"

"I guess I was too sick to realize it until now but Geminar wants me, actually needs me dead! Your very planet's survival depends on it. I know it won't help you prevent this next war, but at least it will be fought by honorable warriors with weapons they understand and not megalomaniacs wielding swords so sharp they can cleave the planet in two!"

"Kenshi, please stop. You're starting to frighten me!" Aura pleaded.

"You know I'm right princess, with me dead, the secret of the Light Hawk dies with me. Go back to your Hot Springs, tell everyone you found me but I ran away before you could help me. The Aho sickness will take me shortly, you can even tell everyone that I made you my wife before I died, that should count for something regarding who retains control of Swan. You can still help Lashara that way; you might even still be able to prevent that war."

Aura studied Kenshi's face closely, in the course of their relationship she had thought she had seen the entire gamut emotions it could display, from joy to grief and anger to love. Today for the first time she saw a new emotion, the emotion of a man determined to lay down his life to save another.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Aura asked him sadly.

"No, it's not what I want," Kenshi answered, "It's what I need to do."

"Very well then," Aura said sadly before kneeling down and hugging him from behind. "I understand."

Holding him tenderly she pressed her body to his and waited for him to relax. Once Aura was sure Kenshi's guard was down she quickly shifted her grip and placed him in a sleeper hold. Kenshi tried to fight back but he was too weak. Weaker even than when Chiaia had bested him that first night.

"I'm sorry Kenshi," Aura cried as her tears soaked his shirt, "but I know in my heart that the Goddess did not send you here only to take you away so soon after."

Waiting until she was sure he was unconscious, Aura removed her blouse and tearing it into several strips; she used it to hog-tie him to prevent his escape.

After Aura was done with that, she then sprinted the entire distance to her Sacred Mechanoid and activated her emergency beacon.

Shortly thereafter, the sleepy image of the Swan's night duty helmsman appeared on her screen.

Immediately recognizing the dark elf princess, he came to attention and asked her. "Yes Princess, how can we be of assistance?"

"I'm sorry Helmsman, but I need you to move the Swan as close as you can to my coordinates for an emergency Mechanoid recovery."

"Yes, Princess we'll be at you location in twenty minutes."

"Very well, now could you please patch me over to Wahanly…?"

000

When Kenshi woke again he discovered that he was strapped into one of the most insidious machines he had ever seen. Wahanly, under Aura's direction, had constructed a combination cage, ducking arm and automatic feeding system that she could control from the driver's seat of one of her mechaworkers. Additionally, the Sacred Mechamechanic had added sensors to the device that allowed the operator to monitor the amount of negative Aho still present in the patient's tissues.

For the next three days, Aura watched over Kenshi's progress as she slowly, patiently purged the negative Aho from his body. During the entire time Kenshi had not said a word and just waited, waiting for when he was free so he could do what he knew he needed to do.

Aura was no fool however, she was well aware that the practice of ritual suicide, seppuku, existed on some worlds and she did not intend to let Kenshi waste the life she had so painstakingly saved.

Once her task was complete Aura sat down next to his cage and began to explain her actions. Taking her dagger from its sheath, she watched Kenshi's eyes as they followed the blade.

"I know nothing of this 'Greatest power in the Universe' or why you think you must die to save us from it! Frankly, I don't care! One thing I have learned by studying the history of this planet is; the seeds of all future wars were planted in the last! To stop a conflict from spiraling out of control today is the same as to stop uncounted wars from happening tomorrow! You are the key to that future! A future without war! A future without need for such weapons."

Moving her dagger to and foe Aura observed that Kenshi's eyes no longer followed the blade; they were focused inward towards his heart, where she needed him to look.

"I know you don't feel like talking, so you just sit there while I tell you a story about my mother," she told him.

"My mother was a lot like Chiaia, a member of the guard charged with keeping Shurifon safe. She was injured in a border skirmish with Havoniwa not to far from here and placed on light duty with the Palace Guard while she healed. It was during that time that she became enamored of my father. In Shurifon, any guard is considered worthy of marriage into the royal family... If the future husband agrees and if they can pass the test.

"I don't know if my father thought it was a joke, or if he really loved her. Whatever the reason, he agreed to allow her the privilege to fight for his hand. Now this test I speak of is similar to Shurifon's national pastime of the Forest Race, except that the traps are real and you are constantly battling the other contenders who are doing their dead level best to take you out. Only the winner ever finishes this race!

"In my mother's case she easily defeated all the other contenders and was allowed to marry my father, the then future King. Shortly after they were wed I was born," Aura smiled up at him, "two years after that my mother died."

"She died?" Kenshi heard himself ask involuntary.

"That's right Kenshi, she died. But don't be sad, for it seems that she neglected to tell my father her true age. You see, my mother was over fifty years old when she met my father. The reason she was able to dispatch all her rivals so handily was simply because she was that much more experienced than they were. From some of the paintings of her that hang in the palace I take it that she was also very beautiful. My poor old sod of a father never stood a chance, for which I'm grateful. As to her motivations, my mother had spent her entire life securing the peace and happiness of others and now that her race was over she simply wanted to share in a small piece of that happiness for herself and to secure for her daughter, me, the best life she could."

"I tell you this because I want you to understand why I've done what I've done."

Looking at her suspiciously Kenshi asked, "And what did you do, other than saving my life I mean?"

Walking up to his cage, Aura hit the release and Kenshi fell sprawling at her feet. Taking her dagger, she cut the restraints that bound him then placed the knife in his hands. Taking three steps back, she removed her clothes and stood naked before him.

"When Wahanly was out rigging this thing up I let it slip that you had made me your Queen. I'm using the past tense on purpose by the way."

"You told her what!"

"I surrender Kenshi, you win! If the only way I can guarantee your cooperation is to do this then so be it! I will suffer being your Queen!"

"I'm sorry Aura, I thought you said you liked me? I didn't really mean to force you. Well maybe I did a little. I am sorry about what happened to you, I really am." Kenshi sympathized, "Nevertheless, the fact remains that you were not just the best choice. You were in fact the only choice! You possess the wisdom of your father, the strength of a warrior and the willingness to make the hard decisions when they need to be made even, in the face of overwhelming opposition."

Kenshi looked at her sadly and sighed before he continued, "I appreciate your sacrifice, I really do, but the fact still remains that that path is not the one I should be walking anymore." He finished as he pondered the dagger in his hands.

"I do like you Kenshi, otherwise why would I go to such lengths to save you from your own folly?" She smiled. "Which is why I told Wahanly what I did. When last seen, you were alive and being cared for by me. Should anything untoward happen to you it will be assumed that I had something to do with it." Aura explained as she smiled wickedly. "By me claiming to be your queen, it will be assumed that I had you killed for political gain. Shurifon will be sanctioned, the alliance with Havoniwa and Shtrayu will be dissolved and though not likely I could be put to death!"

"You're not playing fair Princess."

"You've left me no choice, I give up, you win."

"Seems to me that you're the one who has won." Kenshi told her.

Smiling gently Aura continued, "You should always be careful what you wish for, Kenshi, you might just get it. However, my capitulation does not come without conditions."

"For some reason I just knew there was a catch, what are they?" Kenshi sighed.

"First off I expect you to take responsibility for the secret with which you have been entrusted. It will only be a matter of time before my shame is revealed. When that happens, you cannot send me back to my father as soiled goods. Instead, I expect you to defend my honor when the need arises.

"Secondly, I will not make the same mistake as my mother. If you expect me to sit by your side in the throne room then I will expect you to lay by mine in the bedchamber. As you said of Chiaia so will it be for me, I deserve my chance at happiness, my life is too short for me to allow otherwise. Goddess knows the times we will be alone together will be few enough.

"Thirdly and most important I need you to consummate this marriage here and now!"

"Condition one I will agree to without hesitation, the honor of my queen I will defend as if it were my own, condition two I'm a bit iffy on but I'm used to sharing the same room with my sisters, so that shouldn't be a problem. But number three, don't you think we should wait a little bit to see if we're… compatible?" Kenshi stammered.

"No Kenshi, it can't wait for two reasons; First, the Church has observers everywhere. They will be looking for evidence that our… union was consummated. If we can tell them, truthfully, that it took place while we were bathing in the healing waters of this Hot Spring they will have nothing to observe. Second, things will start to happen fast as the political situation tries to re-align itself with our new reality. Therefore, if you want me to be able to speak with force of law, then when next I set foot on Swan you will have made me your Queen, in fact and in deed!"

Realizing that he had been outmaneuvered, Kenshi smiled and proffered her the dagger, hilt first then said, "I accept."

000

Taking the dagger from his hand, Aura placed it back in its sheath then led Kenshi into the bath, and there in the those sacred waters the once Princess Aura Shurifon became Aura, Queen of Swan.


End file.
